FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (23mm, f/4, 1/125 sec, ISO200)
A little evening walk in Shinjuku, Tokyo just before sunset. And as Shinjuku is home of the original Yodobashi Camera store this is called Yodobashi sunset.
Yodobashi camera is the biggest camera store in the world. Regarding revenue they are about four times bigger than B&H. So they are really big. In Japan they have a total of 23 shops. This street is where it all started in the 60s.
Because Yodobashi ran out of space in the first building they now own a couple of buildings in this street and compared to the big shops in Akihabara or the one in Osaka Umeda that I have covered here before this shop is very different and even one department is spread in split floors.
FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (23mm, f/4, 1/240 sec, ISO200)
FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (23mm, f/5.6, 1/100 sec, ISO200)
There is no need to look at the EXIF data. It’s clear that it was around 6pm when I took those images. Why do I know that? Simply because at 6pm the salarymen and -women leave their offices. At this time of the day there is an endless stream of mostly men, mostly in black trousers and white shirts on the way to their trains.
But I had no train to catch. My hotel was just a short walk away and I wasn’t in a hurry. For the first time I also managed to find Map camera. I camera store specialised in second hand. It’s easy to miss the shop because there is no shop window. You have to use the elevator to get upstairs. The shop seems small until you realise that there are 6 floors of which 4 floors dealing with second hand cameras and lenses. And the chance that you wouldn’t find the camera or lens that you are looking for is Zero! Just have a look at the picture below. 10 Nikon D5 and 10 Nikon D4! The selection is huge but the prices are rather high. Maybe there is a chance to negotiate but it’s rather tricky if you don’t speak Japanese.
FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (23mm, f/4, 1/100 sec, ISO640)
FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (23mm, f/5.6, 1/100 sec, ISO320)
FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (23mm, f/4, 1/100 sec, ISO800)
I left Map camera just early enough for the blue hour. The best time to take night pictures as the sky is not completely dark but has a nice blue tone. That means it is easier to balance exposure in-between the bright lights and the sky.
The shot below is my favourite. It shows the office people in front of Yodoashi camera. I like that even though the people are rather dark you can still see the white shirt, the ties and the face masks. The office people commuting to work are a special sight. Usually they are all dressed in black trousers or suits plus white shirt and black tie. They look like an army ready for another battle in the office.
FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (23mm, f/4, 1/100 sec, ISO640)
FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (23mm, f/4, 1/100 sec, ISO1000)
A least shot of the main entrance of Yodobashi Camera before I went back to my hotel. And one more where I tried to use the cool lights as an out o focus background. This is as good as it gets with the 23/2 WR. If the subject is really close the background gets nicely blurred. Yes I know that the 23/2 is a little soft wide open at close distances but it is totally fine for real world photography.
I wish I had a better subject than this stupid pack of gums. A cone of soft ice of maybe something cool like a tried octopus. Well, you can’t always get what you want.
FUJIFILM X-Pro2 (23mm, f/2, 1/100 sec, ISO320)